Board appoints Dr. Jerris R. Hedges as new dean for John A. Burns School of Medicine, and honors Warrior football team

HONOLULU — At its monthly meeting held yesterday at the UH Mānoa campus, the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents approved an amended and restated ground lease with GEO International Explorer, Inc., to develop the U.S.-China Center at UH Hilo. The approval of the 65-year lease agreement allows development to begin on the project, which will include student housing, a commercial/retail area, a cultural center and a hotel.

"The China-U.S. Center is an extraordinary entrepreneurship project for UH Hilo and a great example of a public-private partnership that will benefit our students, faculty and staff, as well as the Big Island community and the entire state of Hawaiʻi," said UH Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng. "I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard on this project for their support over the years, including the UH Board of Regents and the UH System administration. I am very appreciative of everyone's efforts in bringing this to fruition."

The project will be located on 36 acres of land across the road from the main entry to the UH Hilo campus. The first phase will be the construction of student housing that will include four buildings with about 200 beds each. Additional phases will include a commercial/retail area, a cultural center, and a hotel.

In other action, the BOR approved Dr. Jerris R. Hedges as the new dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Hedges replaces former Dean Ed Cadman who resigned from the post in 2005 for health reasons. Hedges appointment is for three years, effective March 1, 2008.

Hedges is currently vice dean of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine in Portland, Oregon. He is a physician specializing in emergency medicine, and graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine. He has spent 20 years with OHSU, serving as chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine from 1998-2005. During his time at OHSU, he has also been a member of the medical staff at OHSU Hospital, and served as Chief of Emergency Services from 1997-2005. He is the author of several textbooks and hundreds of journal articles. He has also won dozens of awards in his field and has been elected to the prestigious National Academies of Science Institute of Medicine, which advises the U.S. government on matters of health and medicine.

The Board also presented the UH Warrior Football Team with a resolution honoring the players, coaches and staff for their successful 2007 season. Warrior Linebacker Adam Leonard and Assistant Coach Rich Miano accepted the resolution on behalf of the team.

In its resolution, the Board recognized the team for its unbeaten 2007 regular season and outright win of the 2007 Western Athletic Conference title, as well as the superlative performance of numerous members of the team, all of which lead to the team‘s appearance in the 74th Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans on New Year‘s Day, and for representing the University of Hawaiʻi and the state of Hawaiʻi with distinction.